Neckties and process of manufacturing the same



May 29, 19.62 E. ZIMMERMAN ETAL 3,035,311

NECKTIES AND PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME Filed July 22, 1960 IN VEN TORS UGNE Z/MME MAN BY L/ LL/AM ZIMME/ MA/v Moi/9% A 7' rap/vs y Filed July 22, 196i), Ser. No. 44,799 4 Claims. (Cl. 2-146) This invention relates to the art of manufacturing neckties, and in particular to a process of applying the facing or pocket lining to the rear of the front section of a necktie blank, and to neckties produced in this manner.

In the manufacture of neckties as presently practiced, it is customary to stitch a previously prepared facing or pocket lining to a tie blank at the front section thereof, with those faces of the facing and section which are ultimately to be the outer faces of the finished tie being positioned adjacent one another. Once the stitching is conr pleted, the composite structure is then turned inside out to bring the front section of the tie to its desired condition, preparatory to the tie finishing operations. It will be understood that in this manner the marginal edges of the tie and of the lining are oppositely curved. There is, however, no guarantee that these edges will be straight and parallel to one another as well as evenly contoured, and in the event of small defects in stitching the attachment of the lining to the blank when they are everted and turned right side out may be somewhat bulky or uneven, thus imparting to the ultimate tie a sloppy appearance at the place where it will be noticed most. Moreover, it is generally found that the probability of uneven stitching is very great due to the human element involved, which further leads to the formation of unattractive bulges especially at the tip of the tie. Finally, again through poor workmanship, some of the rear surface of the front section may actually be visible through gaps in the marginal folds at the tip of the tie.

It is, therefore, an important object of the present invention to provide a novel process of manufacturing neckties which is free of the drawbacks and disadvantages inherent in known processes of this type.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a novel method of attaching the facing or pocket lining to the rear face of the front section of the tie.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a novel method of preparing a tie blank for attachment of the pocket lining thereto in such a manner that the ultimate tie and lining structure is smooth-edged, even and free of unsightly bumps and ridges.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a necktie-manufacturing process in which the lining is attached to the tie blank without stitching and in the actual final position so as to avoid the necessity of turning the tie and lining structure inside out after the joining thereof.

It is, accordingly, a related object of the present invention to provide a necktie-manufacturing process which is less complicated and time-consuming but much more economical than heretofore known processes of this type.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a novel and improved necktie structure which has the facing or pocket lining attached to the rear of the front section of the tie without stitching and in a completely even and uniform manner without any unsightly bulges, ridges or other defects.

Yet a further object of the present invention, therefore, is the provision of a necktie which is simpler and less expensive to manufacture than known ties of the same class, which is better constructed and which costs less to the ultimate purchaser.

3,3311 Patented May 29, 1962 ICC The foregoing and other objects of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description thereof when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the rear face of the front section of a necktie blank as initially cut;

FIG. 2 is a similar view of the tie blank and illustrates the first folding step of the process of preparing the section for attachment of a facing according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 and illustrates the second folding step of the said process;

FIG. 4 is still another similar view which illustrates the next folding step of the process;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 and illustrates the manner in which an adhesive may be applied to the folded-over marginal regions of the front section of the tie blank;

FIG. 6 is a perspective plan view of the combined tie and facing structure as seen from the rear face of the front section of the tie, part of the facing being broken away to show a detail of the construction thereof;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line '77 in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a plan View, similar to FIG. 1, of a slightly modified tie blank which may be processed for attachment of a facing or pocket lining in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

Referring now first to FIG. 1, it will be seen that for the manufacture of a necktie there is provided a tie blank 10 which comprises a front end section 11 and a rear end section (not shown) which are interconnected with one another by a center section (also not shown). The three sections may be integral with one another if the tie blank 10 is cut as a unit with the aid of a fulllength pattern, or the center section (which comprises the neckband part of the tie) may be constituted half by a part of the front section and half by a part of the rear section with the two halves joined on a bias by suitable stitching in a well known manner. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the front section 11 of the tie blank 10 is provided in its end region with a tip 12- =and two side edges 13 and 14 diverging relative to one another from the tip 12, and beyond the said end region with two lateral edges 15 and 16 starting at the remote ends of the side edges 13 and 14 and converging slightly toward one another in the direction of the center section of the tie blank. As will be understood, the boundary edges 13, 14, 15 and 16 of the tie blank 10 are relatively rough and possibly even slightly dissociated into individual threads due to the blanks being cut from a much larger piece of tie fabric. At a predetermined distance from the junctions between the tie blank edges 1315 and 1 416, the front section 11 is transversely cut a short distance in from each of the edges 15 and 16 to form a pair of short slits 17 and 18. Although the tie blank 10 and in particular the front section 11 thereof is otherwise substantially unmarked and unmodified, there are indicated in FIG. 1 several dot-dash lines 12a, 13a, 14a, 15a and 1611 which represent fold lines the function of which will become clearer as the description proceeds.

Turning :now to FIG. 2, it will be seen that as the first step of the process of preparing the front section 11 for the attachment of 1a facing or pocket lining, a triangular portion of the front section 11 at the tip .12 thereof is folded against the rear face of the section along the fold line 12a, thereby forming a straight end edge 19 of folded material intermediate the edges 13 and 14. The fold is such that the short edge 19, which, of course, coincides with the fold line 12a, is effectively bisected by the longitudinal center line of the tie blank and thus has two halves 19a and 1%, while the tip 12 is located within the confines of the section 11 and on the blank center line.

As-the second step of the process, marginal portions of the sides of the end region of the tie blank front section bounded by the edges .13 and 14 are now folded over against the rear face of the blank along the fold lines 13a and 14a, care being taken to ensure that the portions 19a and 19b of the tip-area edge 19 now lie flush against and parallel to one another, as shown in FIG. 3. Thus, there are now provided at the rear face of the front section 11 two marginal strips 20 and 21 the adjacent ends of which are defined by the tip-area edge portions 19a and 19b, and the remote ends of which are defined-by a pair of short edges 20a-and 21a extending from the edges 13 and 14 to the edges 15 and 16, respectively. In this manner, the strips form a new tip 22 for the front section of the tie blank as well as a pair of smooth outer edges 29b and 21b of folded material.

The final step of the folding procedure for the front section 1.1 is illustrated in FIG. 4 and involves folding a pair of marginal strips 23 and 24 along the fold lines 15a and 16a from the remote ends 20a and 21a of the marginal strips 20 and 21 up to the respective slits 17,

and 18. The strips 23 and 24 thus provide the tie blank front end section with smooth lateral edges 23a and 24a. It will be noted that the strips 23 and 24 at their ends remote from the slits 17 and 18 over-lie the rough end edges 20:: and 21a of the marginal strips 20 and 21. Thus, the entire outer boundary of the front section '11 is smooth and even without any presence of outwardly extending loose threads orcut selvedge borders.

' The front section 11 is now in condition for application thereto of the facing or pocket lining 25 (see FIG. 6) which resembles the front section 11 in outline except that it is somewhat smaller in'area. It is preferred, in "accordance with the presentinvention, that in its tip region the pocket lining 25 be provided with a pair of folded-over marginal strips 26to define a pair of smooth corner or tip edges 27 and 28 for the lining. If desired, these foldedmarginal strips 26 may be fonned in the same manner as the strips 20 and 21 of the front section 11 of the tie blank 10. Although even the lateral edges 29 (only'one of which is shown in FIG. 6) of the facing 25 may be formed by the folding over of marginal stn'ps similar to the strips 23 and 24 of the front section 11, this is not absolutely necessary inasmuch as the edges 29 will, upon finishing of the tie, be located entirely within the latter and will never really be visible to prospective purchasers or wearers of the tie. a

As is well known, in the heretofore employed methods of attaching a facing or pocket lining to the front section of a tie blank, those faces of the lining and front section which are ultimately to be the respective outer faces thereof are placed one against the other, whereupon the lining and front section are stitched to one another substantially along their marginal boundaries. The entire structure is then turned inside out so as to bring thetie blank into condition for the finishing operations. It will be readily understood that this involves a special operation which increases the manufacturing time as well as the cost of the tie. Moreover, it is always possible that during such turning operations, some of the stitches may be torn, thereby rendering the tie unfit for sale and requiring its rejection for reseparation and restitching of the front section and the facing.

The present invention eifectively overcomes these'disadvantages and drawbacks by eliminating the need for stitching the lining to the front section and thus for the subsequent ever-ting of the tie. To this end, it is contemplated by the present invention to attach the facing to the front section by adhesion. Accordingly, after the marginal strips 20, 21,23 and 24 have been formed at (the rear face of the front section 1 1, there is positioned over the outermost portions of the strips 20 and 21 a substantially V-shaped jig or frame 30 which may be a portion of the machine (not shown) employed for performing the strip-folding operations of a simple, independent angle member. With the frame 30 located as shown in FIG. 5, i.e. with the inside edges or faces 31 and 32 thereof extending parallel to the edges 20b and 21b of the front section 11, the operator applies to the outer surfaces of the strips 23 and 24 and to the still exposed portions of the strips 20 and 21 a coating of a suitable adhesive material which may be either thermosett-ing or pressure-responsive in nature. Such adhesives are well known and commercially available and thus need not be illustrated more specifically herein. It will be understood, of course, that the adhesive could be applied to the marginal strips of the facing instead.

The facing or pocket lining 25 is now placed onto the front section 11, with the folded-over marginal strips 26 on the marginal strips 29 and 2 1, and with the edges 27 and '28 of the facing abutting against the inner edges or faces 31 and 32, respectively, of the jig or frame 30. At the side marginal strips 23 and 24-, the edges 29 of the facing may be spaced from the edges 23a and 24a (as shown in FIG. 6) or they may coincide with the latter. In this manner the present invention ensures that upon adhesion of the facing to the front section 11, there remains an esthetically attractive marginal tip boundary area of precisely even contours and dimensions between the edges 27 and 28 of the facing and the edges 20b and 21b of the front section 11. The composite structure thus has a pleasing appearance and is free of any deformations such as bulges, ridges or lumps which have tended to mar the appearance of the heretofore known ties.

As soon as the lining is fully adhered to the front section 11, the necktie is completed and finished by attaching the inside lining to the center section of the tie blank 10 and thereafter folding the tie over its entire length in conventional manner.

The initial folding of the tip end of the front section 11 along the line 12a. will now be recognized as having a manifold function and thus constituting one of the critical features of the invention. Primarily, the provision of the smooth edge 19 ensures that when the marginal strips 20 and 21 are folded over along the fold lines 13a and 14a, their abutting edges 19a and 19!) are smooth without any loose threads projecting therefrom (as these threads might project from the edges 13 and 14). Moreover, even if the edges 19a and 1% should happen to become slightly separated during the attachment of the facing, one would see through this gap the same finished fabric face as on the marginal strips 20' and 21 themselves and on the front of the tie, and not the usually unfinished rear face of the tie, due to the fact that the turned-over tip portion of the tie underlies these edges. Further, the folds at the tip 22 of the finished tie are smooth and relatively flat, without any bulges or like deformations which are invariably present in known necktie constructions and which would be encountered here too if the strips 20 and 21 were to be folded over without prior folding of the tip portion of the blank along the line 12a. Finally, the tip fold enables the manufacturer to predetermine precisely the widths of the marginal strips 20 and 21 for any given tie. This will be readily understood by reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, from which it can be seen. that if the tip portion of the blank were folded along a line 12a located further toward the center section of the tie than the line shown, then the strips 20 and '21 would be much wider than shown in FIG. 3, and vice versa, assuming the edges 19a and 19b to be in abutting relationship. Thus, the present invention effectively eliminates errors of human judgment from the manufacture of the tie.

' Ancillary to the foregoing, of course, is the considerable advantage that the process of attaching the facing to the front section of the t-ie'in accordance with the principles and hereinbefore described aspects of the present invention completely eliminates a number of disadvantageous features of known tie manufacturing processes. First,

there is no sewing or stitching of the facing to the tie. Second, since the facing is attached to the tie right side out, there is no longer any need for turning the tie inside out, which minimizes the possibility of tearing of the facing or the stitches. Third, no additional pressing is needed for the pocket, since this is accomplished as a part of the adhesion of the facing to the tie.

Although the principles of the present invention have been described herein as applied to a tie blank having continuous lateral edges 15 and 16 which are transversely slitted at a predetermined distance from the tip 12 of the front section 11, it is possible in accordance with the present invention to apply the same principles to a slightly modified type of tie blank. Referring specifically to FIG. 8, it will be seen that the tie blank there shown includes a front section 11 which, like the section 11 shown in FIG. 1, has a tip 12 and edges 13, 14, 15 and 16, the edges 15 and 16 defining the outside boundaries of the strips 23 and 24 which are to be ultimately folded over along the fold lines 15a and 16a, respectively. in lieu of having slits 17 and 18, however, the body of the tie blank 10 at one end of its center section is cutaway at its opposite sides so as to have edges 15' and 16' offset from the edges 15 and 16 and be narrower than the front section 11 between the edges 15 and 16, thereby forming at the ends of the strips 23 and 24 remote from the junctions thereof with the strips 20 and 21 a pair of transversely extending edges 33 and '34 interconnecting the edges 15 and 16 with the edges 15 and 16', respectively. The folding procedure to be followed with this tie blank, however, is precisely the same as that described hereinbefore with respect to the tie blank 10, and the ultimate result difiers only in that with the front section 11' the final edges 23a and 24a (not shown in FIG. 8) which coincide with the fold lines 15a and 16a are in longitudinal alignment with the respective tie blank edges 15' and 16 rather than being offset from the latter as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6.

In general, of course, a necktie is also provided at the rear end section thereof (the shape of which is like that of the front end section) with a facing or pocket lining similar to the lining 25 and differing therefrom only in size. It will be clearly understood by those skilled in this art that the procedure to be followed in preparing the rear end section of a tie, whether it is shaped as in FIG. 1 or as in FIG. 8, for the attachment of the facing and in thereafter actually attaching the facing to the rear end section is exactly the same as set forth hereinbefore for the front end section of the tie. A specific description and illustration of the rear end section procedure is thus deemed to be unnecessary.

It will also be apparent to those skilled in this art that the teachings of the present invention are susceptible to a number of changes or modifications none of which involves any departure from the basic concept of the invention as disclosed herein. Merely by way of example, it will be recognized that whereas the end region marginal strips 20 and 21 are indispensable to the attainment of the objects and advantages of the present invention, the provision of the folded-over longitudinal marginal strips I 23 and 24 may be dispensed with, due to the fact that the side edges of the tie blank are always folded in upon finishing of the tie. In such a case, of course, the adhesive is simply applied to the rear faces of the front and rear end sections of the tie blank at the side marginal regions thereof.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The method of producing a necktie from a necktie blank having in an end region of at least one end section thereof a pair of converging side edges terminating in a pointed tip, and from a facing the contours of which are essentially the same as those of said section of said blank, comprising the steps of folding a substantially triangular portion of the end region of said section which includes said tip over against said rear face of said blank, thereby forming a straight edge of folded material extending transversely to the longitudinal dimension of said blank and defining a tip-area transition between said converging side edges of said end region, folding a first elongated marginal portion of said blank, which is coextensive with one of said side edges of said end region and the tip-area end edge of which is constituted by a part of said straight edge of folded material, over against said rear face of said blank while positioning said end edge substantially longitudinally of said blank and over said folded-over triangular portion, folding a second elongated marginal portion of said blank, which is coextensive with the other of said side edges of said end region and the tip-area end edge of which is constituted by the re mainder of said straight edge of folded material, over against said rear face of said blank while positioning said last-named end edge substantially longitudinally of said blank and over said folded-over triangular portion and in even abutting relationship to said first-named end edge, whereby the newly formed side edges of said end region are defined by folded-over material and the blank is provided at the point of convergence of the newly formed side edges with a pointed tip free of bulges and unsightly material, while the size of said folded-over triangular portion determines the widths of said folded-over marginal portions, covering an outermost boundary region of predetermined width of each of said folded-over first and second marginal portions with a frame member to block oif a predetermined and uniformly dimensioned marginal area of said folded-over first and second mar gin-a1 portions, juxtaposing said facing to said rear face of said blank at said end section of the latter with the marginal edge of said facing abutting against said frame member and with the marginal regions of said facing engaging the unblocked remainders of the outer faces of said folded-over marginal portions of said blank, and treating said juxtaposed blank and facing to secure said marginal portions of'the former to said marginal regions of the latter, whereby upon removal of said frame member the said uniformly dimensioned marginal area of said folded-over marginal portions will be uncovered by said facing and visible for esthetic value.

2. A necktie construction, comprising a necktie blank having in an end region of one end section thereof a pair of converging side edges terminating in a pointed tip, a substantially triangular portion of said end region of said section which includes said tip being folded over against the rear face of said blank, thereby forming a straight edge of folded material extending transversely to the longitudinal dimension ofsaid blank and defining a tip-area transition between said converging side edges of said end region, a first elongated marginal portion of said blank, which is coextensive with one of said side edges of said end region and the tip-area end edge of which is constituted by a part of said straight edge of folded material, being folded over against said rear face of said blank and said end edge being positioned substantially longitudinally of said blank and over said folded-over triangular portion, a second elongated marginal portion of said blank, which is coextensive with the other of said side edges of said end region and the tip-area end edge of which is constituted by the remainder of said straight edge of folded material, being folded over against said rear face of said blank and said last-named end edge being positioned substantially longitudinally of said blank and over said folded-over triangular portion and in even abutting relationship to said first-named end edge, whereby the so-formed side edges of said end region are defined by folded-over material and said blank is provided at the point of convergence of the last-named side edges with a pointed tip free of bulges and unsightly material, and a facing, the contours of which correspond to those of said end section of said blank, positioned over said rear face of the latter, the marginal regions of said facing engaging and being secured to said folded-over marginal portions of said blank.

3. A necktie construction according to claim 2, third and fourthrelongated marginal portions of said blank, which extend longitudinally of said blank and toward the middle thereof from the respective ends of said first and second marginal portions remote from said abutting end edges of the latter, being folded over against said rear face of said blank, corresponding marginal regions of said facing being secured to the outerfaces of said third and fourth marginal portions of said blank.

'4. A necktie construction, comprising a necktie blank having in an end region of one end section thereof a pair of converging side edges terminating in a pointed tip, a substantially triangular portion of said end region of said section which includes said tip being folded over against the rear face of said blank, thereby forming a straight edge of folded material extending transversely to the longitudinal dimension of said blank and defining a tip-area transition between said converging side edges of said end region, a first elongated marginal portion of said blank, which is coextensive with one of said side edges of said end region and the tip-area end edge of which is constituted by apart of said straight edge of folded material, being folded over against said rear face of said blank and said end edge being positioned substantially long'itudinally of said blank and over said folded-over triangular portion, and a second elongated marginal portion of said blank, which is coextensive with the other of said side edges of said end region and the tip-area end edge of which is constituted by the remainder of said straight edge of folded material, being folded over against said rear face of said blank and said last-named end edge being positioned substantially longitudinally of said blank and over said folded-over triangular portion and in even abutting relationship to said first-named end edge, whereby theso-formed side edges of said end region are defined by folded-over material and said blank is provided at the point of convergence of the last-named side edges with a pointed tip free of bulges and unsightly material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 345,897 Heath July 20, 1886 20 1,478,988 McNamara Dec. 25, 1923 1,934,154 Underwood Nov. 7, 1933 2,163,717 Underwood June 27, 1939 2,741,772 Wagner Apr. 17, 1956 

